Cucurbita maxima
Origin: Nova Scotia
Improvement status: Cultivar
Seeds per packet: ~10
Germination tested 10/2024: 82%
Life cycle: Annual
Developed by the late Howard Dill of Windsor, Nova Scotia, 'Dill's Atlantic Giant' is the granddaddy of all the giant pumpkins grown around the world today. In Dill's day, a pumpkin of 500 pounds was something to write home about, but now it takes pumpkins of over 2,000 pounds to stand a chance in the most competitive contests. As of this writing, the world record is over 2,700 pounds, so within a few years, someone's pumpkin will no doubt crack 3,000! The internet can be relied on for instructions on how to actually succeed in growing truly massive pumpkins (it takes daily efforts throughout the growing season), but even with little to no special extra care these seeds are likely to produce fruit of at least 50-100 pounds. Best of luck to you on your giant pumpkin journey!
The photo with the single pumpkin is 'Dill's Atlantic' and weighs about 90 pounds (though not done growing yet and will get much bigger). The other photo with multiple giant pumpkins is from a festival, to give a better of idea of the size they can get.
